Trapped, Slipped, Falling
by cheekybrat
Summary: Forgive, or not forgive? The wind blew and swept the red hair of a young kunoichi in Konohagakure no Sato. Blue orb gazed lazily at the clear sky of her beautiful hometown. A sigh escaped her lips as her mind replayed the sudden turn of events. A sudden turn of events that she 'claimed' as an unfortunate turn of events. Unfortunate or not? You decide. [Rated T for swearing, etc.]
1. Chapter 1: Return

Footsteps neared the majestic gate of Konohagakure no Sato. The female figure, lost in thought, kept her gaze locked on the ground. Her right eye glanced at her surroundings. A small smile slowly grew across her face.

_This village hasn't changed much, hn?_

The young woman caught sight of a shinobi with long, spiky, black hair in the guard post. Wearing the standard attire of a Konoha ninja, the man also sported a strip of bandage running across his nose and a dark colored marking on his chin. Even after 10 years away from the village, she could still remember the man.

"Right. Of course there will be a guard near the gate." The young woman muttered. Irritation was heard as clear as the sky in her voice. "How could I expect returning here without being found out by others?"

As she neared the guard post, she decided to unveil her chakra. Kotetsu glanced at her, slightly shocked from the sudden presence. His dark eyes scanned the female.

Shoulder-length red hair with nose-length bangs swept to the left, covering her left eye. No hitai-ate. Light skin tone. A zipped up dark grey overcoat that stops on her elbows. Reddish brown vest beneath it. A black wristband on her left wrist. Black mid-thigh short pants. A maroon belt with a sword strapped on the left and a weapon bag on the right. Black boots with two little belts adorning each boots, covering her legs until a few inches below her knee. The rest of her legs were completely covered in bandages. And last but not least, a ridiculously gigantic backpack.

Kotetsu's eyebrow quirked as his gaze fell onto the backpack. "Ahem." He coughed as an effort to compose himself and stood up from his seat. "Umm, miss, I need to see your passport, please."

The young woman snickered. Kotetsu's eyebrows furrowed as the fishy behavior of the stranger alerted the ninja. His hands were ready near his weapon bag, just in case the woman does something.. stupid.

"Kotetsu-san, isn't it?"

Kotetsu's ears perked up. "Yes? Do I happen to know you?"

The woman raised her gaze from the ground and looked straight at him. The redhead flashed a sweet smile. Kotetsu gaped at the vaguely familiar face.

"Ssssh." The young woman raised a finger to her lips. "If it is possible, I would like to have my arrival," the redhead paused as she pondered of the appropriate word to use, "kept a secret."

Kotetsu raised an eyebrow. Is this woman really who he thinks it is, or not? But no, no way it is. It's probably just a lookalike. One that looks ridiculously _very_ alike.

The woman laughed. "Right. That was a very stupid request, wasn't it?"

Kotetsu's eyebrows twitched. The smile immediately faded from the unknown woman's face as she saw Kotetsu's discomfort. The woman stared blankly at Kotetsu. "Oh, I get it. You don't remember me?"

The male ninja stood speechless. The redhead nodded, taking the silence as a 'yes'. The woman raised her hands. She flashed an apologetic smile towards Kotetsu. "Okay, I get it. It's okay. Perfectly okay."

Kotetsu decided to give in to his overwhelming curiosity. "Umm, who are you?"

The woman flashed a small smile. Confidence radiated from her eye. "My name is.."

* * *

The woman walked swiftly through the busy street filled with the villagers of the Hidden Leaf. It was perfect. No one seems to notice her. A determined smile grew on her face as she looked straight at her destination. The hokage office. From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the one and only Ichiraku Ramen. A swept of nostalgic feeling hit her as a warm, honest smile grew on her lips. One of her very few honest smiles these days. The redhead nodded as she mentally noted to pay the Ichiraku Ramen a visit as soon as she could. And soon enough, the grand building of the hokage office was in her sight. She stopped on her track and studied the building.

_It seems like this building didn't change at all either, hn?_

The redhead briefly pondered about a way to enter the office secretly without having to face the ANBU guards. But soon enough, the kunoichi shrugged it off. It's too stupid and too troublesome. It's not worth it, so she decided to take the normal way and confidently approached the ANBU guards.

"I'd like to have a chat with Hokage-sama, please." She started as she looked at the ANBU guards.

"And who are you?" Asked the female ANBU with back-length purple-ish hair.

"Hmm. Right." The woman mumbled. The redhead clicked her tongue. Just like before, she did not try to hide the irritation in her voice. Not at all.

"You don't seem to be a citizen of this village." Spat the other ANBU, a brunette man. "I hope you didn't get in this village by some ridiculous way such as tricking poor Kotetsu or something?"

Much to the surprise of the two guards, the redheaded woman broke into laughter. They waited as her laughter gradually slowed down. The woman coughed and composed herself. An amused smirk grew across her face as she bravely spoke with a taunting tone. "Of course not. That would be very stupid."

While the brunette ANBU seems to be peeved by her sneering laughter, the female ANBU stayed calm. "Indeed it is. So, are you that stupid?"

The redhead smiled at the female ANBU. "Fortunately, no, I don't think so."

The purple haired ANBU nodded and crossed her arms. "Alright. We require your identity before we let you speak to Hokage-sama." She spoke sternly.

The woman nodded. Flashing another smile towards the ANBU guards, she spoke up. "My name is.."

* * *

The redhead walked through the halls of the building. She was glad the ANBU guards didn't make any significant ruckus and decided to let her go after 'interrogating' her for a little while. The woman snickered to herself in amusement as images of the ANBUs' reactions danced across her mind.

In no time, the door to the office of the one and only Godaime Hokage was right in front of her. Preparing herself with a confident smile, she raised her hand and knocked on the door.

_Knock knock!_

...

"Come in!"

With a smile still plastered on her face, she swiftly opened the door. As she stepped in, the redhead looked around and scanned of the office, until her gaze fell on the female Hokage sitting on her desk. The older kunoichi was busied with some documents as they both stayed silent. The redhead patiently waited for the honorable hokage to look at her. The usual smile on her face faded, replaced with a rather blank expression. After a few moments, the fifth hokage, Lady Tsunade, finally looked up and looked at the young kunoichi in front of her. Her eyes gradually grew wider as Tsunade studied every detail of the younger ninja. The hokage was speechless, her chin resting on her wrists. After another few moments of total silence, the younger woman flashed a bright smile, before falling onto her knees and bowing at the honorable ninja.

"It has been a long time, Lady Tsunade." Facing up, the young woman looked at the hokage straight in the eye, showing her radiant blue eye behind her red locks. A small smile grew across her face. "Please excuse my impoliteness."

The hokage's mouth fell open as the young redhead's words echoed in her mind. The redhead lowered her head again, patiently waiting for a response.

"You.."

A small smile grew on her face. She eagerly waited for the hokage to complete her sentence. The redhead could barely stop herself from giggling. She felt ticklish as she could feel the excitement building up in her stomach.

"Are you..?"

The young kunoichi raised her head to look at the hokage once again. With a proud smile, she introduced herself.

"Namikaze Kaname, at your service."

* * *

Wow. I can't believe I'm actually posting it here! You have no idea how long has this fic stayed in my phone and **only** in my phone. Woah now, I know it's far from perfect, but I would try my best with this fic.

I hope you enjoyed it! Please kindly let me know what you think about it. Thank you very much! :D


	2. Chapter 2: We're Home

The redhead walked through the busy streets of Konohagakure, once again without being noticed by anyone. And honestly, she liked it. To have people find out that she's suddenly back in the village would be too troublesome. She could easily imagine everyone surrounding her and bombarding her with questions. Genma-san, Guy-san, Kurenai-san, Anko-san..

And yes. Hatake Kakashi-san.

The woman snickered. "Hmph. Hatake Kakashi_-san_?"

Of course, it means that they all cared for her. But, she would prefer some time to settle down and let the news reveal itself slowly, as if her sudden reappearance isn't all that shocking. But of course, that would be very impossible.

Her lips curled up into a soft smile as her gaze lingered on the apartment keys in her hand. The kind Lady Tsunade gave her the keys to the very same apartment she had before suddenly leaving the village 10 years ago.

Yes, 10 years ago. She was still a child, very reckless and she didn't know what she was doing. But, she didn't regret it _at all_. The journey gave her many bittersweet memories, none of which she would ever forget.

A small smile appeared on her face. She probably has to properly apologize to everyone. 10 years ago, she didn't just suddenly disappear. The redhead _faked_ her death. She was quite amused that no one seems to notice any peculiarities in a fake death orchestrated by an 11 years old child.

Well, perhaps, except one man.

The smile immediately faded from her face. Instead, her face crumpled in disgust when an image of a man danced across her mind.

Shimura Danzo.

That malicious old man was the reason she was _forced_ to disappear from the village. And, she wasn't sure whether it was to find her or for other selfish reasons one would expect from Danzo, but she knew for sure that the old man was the one who sent her former teammates to Yamagakure, which resulted in the death of her best friend in the hands of her _other _best friend in Yamagakure.

The death of her best friend, as it would cause to anyone, deeply saddened her. However..

She still has to admit that it wasn't a complete loss.

Kaname raised her hand and swept her bangs that covered her left eye, revealing a black eyepatch. Her fingers traced the eyepatch as she, once again, mourned her best friend.

Trying to get her mind off the sad memories of her best friend's death, she thought of the Yamagakure village instead. A warm smile grew across her face. It was a small, beautiful, peaceful village filled with happy people.

Until the day when the village was destroyed.

The memories of that day was still painfully etched in her mind. The village had the same fate as Uzushiogakure. Some sides were intimidated by the rapidly growing strength of a small village called Yamagakure, and in order to cease their worry, they decided to erase every living members of Yamagakure. Out of the many attacking ninjas, she could easily notice the Root ANBU, obviously under the orders of Danzo-_Again,_ that rotten old man-, and ninjas from Kirigakure under the orders of Yagura.

Kaname shook her head. Right, she has decided that she would leave the past for good and start anew in this village. No matter how much she hates Danzo and how much she loves the idea of eradicating the old man, she decided that being targeted as a criminal would be too troublesome.

"Hey, did you hear that? They said Uzumaki Naruto and Jiraiya-sama has returned to this village!"

Kaname immediately froze in her tracks. Her blue eye glanced towards the two male ninjas casually chatting with each other near a tea shop.

"Yeah, it has been two and a half years, hasn't it? I wonder how strong that Kyuubi brat is."

Kaname scoffed. 'Kyuubi brat'? Some people just never change, do they? She immediately lost interest in the two shinobis and continued to walk through the busy street.

The redheaded kunoichi stopped. Slowly, she looked up. Her gaze fell on the Hokage carvings, and her gaze softened as it lingered on the carvings of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato.

_We're home, dad._

* * *

Kaname let out an exhausted sigh as she reached her old apartment. The heavy weight of her backpack is ridiculous! Well, she _is _moving here forever-At least that's what she plans for the time being-so of course she should've expected it.

Deciding to ignore the slight pain on her shoulders, a small smile grew across her face as the feels of nostalgia hit her hard like a taco truck. Chuckling, she reached out to the doorknob to unlock the door.

But, instead of the sound of her own door creaking, she heard the door of the apartment beside hers open. As the feels of nostalgia temporarily dulled her senses, the kunoichi ended up in an embarrassing state of slightly jumping back out of shock and gaping at the door, her bright blue eye wide as she watched a figure emerging from the door.

Bandana. Senbon hanging loosely from his mouth. Brown hair. There was no mistaking him. Shiranui Genma.

Thanks to her bad luck, the male ninja noticed her. They engaged on a staring contest, Kaname still in the embarrassing state of gaping at Genma.

"You-"

_BLAAM!_

Genma's voice returned Kaname to her senses. She immediately ran inside her apartment and closed _(read: slammed)_ the door. The kunoichi quickly pushed her body towards the door to keep it closed. She kept leaning on the door, struggling to tame her wildly beating heart. The tense situation has made her unconsciously hold her breath.

"H-Hey!"

Kaname kept silent.

"H-hey, excuse me?"

Kaname closed her eyes and cursed her luck.

"Uh, hey, excuse me? Could you open the door?" Genma asked. The tokubetsu jonin started knocking on the door.

Kaname tried her best to ignore Genma. His knockings gradually turned louder as his patience thinned out. After quite a lot of knockings, Kaname heard a sigh.

"Uh, okay. Sorry." Genma's voice said from behind the door.

Kaname kept focusing her hearing until she heard footsteps furthering her apartment door. As she made sure that she couldn't sense Genma's presence anymore, a long sigh escaped her lips.

"Shit. Not even a day and somebody found me. Soon enough, he'll tell everyone. Soon enough, everyone will find out." Kaname cursed. "Luck usually favors me, but _just this time_, curse my luck."

A long, exhausted sigh escaped the kunoichi's lips as she locked the door. Kaname quickly flicked on the light switch as she hungered for the sight of her beloved apartment. Her blue eye scanned the apartment thoroughly, noting that _nothing_ has changed _at all_. A warm smile grew on her face as the bittersweet memories of her childhood flooded her mind.

Except the bedroom and the bathroom, the apartment was open. To her left was a small living area with two tan leather couches and a long, wooden coffee table. To her right was a big bookcase filled with various books, from children's books to novels to non-fiction books. Further into the apartment, to her right was the kitchen and the dining area, and to her left was her bedroom and bathroom. The kitchen had wooden counters, a cupboard, stove, sink, fridge, and a complete set of kitchen equipments. The dining area had a dark wooden table covered with a white tablecloth along with 6 chairs around it.

Giving in to her exhaustion, Kaname strutted towards her bedroom. Her eye sparkled as she studied every detail of her favorite part of the apartment. A double bed, a wooden dresser, a body-length mirror, a wooden desk and a small bookcase above it, complete with various thick encyclopedias, and a large image of a shuriken tacked above the bed.

Kaname gently put her backpack down near the bed. The redhead let out a long sigh and fell onto the bed. Her nose caught the unpleasant scent of dust and her eye caught sight of the spider webs. After 10 years, the apartment turned out _much _cleaner than Kaname expected. Perhaps somebody cleaned it for some time after her disappearance. But still, this place definitely needs cleaning. The kunoichi was never a big fan of house chores, so she'll just have her shadow clones do the work.

Kaname chuckled as she drowned further in the feelings of nostalgia. She decided that she would deal with Genma later. _Much _much later.

* * *

"Yo, Genma!"

Genma glanced at the source of the fiery spirited voice. He caught sight of a man with bowl haircut and thick eyebrows clad in tight-fitting green spandex jumpsuit, orange leg warmers, and Konoha flak jacket. Might Guy.

"Hey, Guy." Genma answered impassively.

"Come on, why don't you be more spirited?!"

The tokubetsu jonin decided to not answer as he found another familiar figure approaching them. A purple-ish haired woman with tight fitting mesh body suit, tan overcoat, and a dark orange mini skirt approached them, sporting her usual smirk.

"Hey guys!" Anko cheerfully waved.

"Uh, hey." Genma replied.

"Hey hey, why so mellow, huh?" The kunoichi teased as she threw an arm around Genma's shoulder.

Genma rolled his eyes without answering the snake mistress. Anko snickered.

"Come on, there's something bothering you, isn't there?" She pushed. "You can always talk to us. That's what friends are for! Ne, Guy?"

Guy immediately gave Genma his good guy pose. Genma sighed, which made Anko's smirk stretch even further. "Come on, I was on my way to have some delish dangos, so now you guys are coming with me.

* * *

"Eeeeeh, really?!"

Genma rolled his eyes as both Guy and Anko screamed, Guy with his usual spirit of youth and Anko with her mouth full of dango.

"Bwah bwah, buh I thouh zhe die?"

"Uhh." Genma's eyebrows twitched. He could barely work out Anko's words through all the dangos in her mouth. "That's what I thought, too, but, the woman seems to be how old Kaname should be now, with the same red hair, bright blue eye, and she wore an eyepatch on her left eye."

Anko hastily chewed the food in her mouth, swallowed it, and chugged down on her sake. Guy took a stick of dango and ate it, while his wide eyes still stared intently at Genma. Genma would be lying if he said he didn't mind the awkward staring. Letting out a long sigh, Anko happily patted her full stomach.

_Burp._

"Oops. Sorry." Muttered the kunoichi. "But anyways, to think that Namikaze Kaname appeared out of the-"

"Namikaze Kaname?"

The ninjas turned towards the source of voice to see Asuma and Kurenai. Kurenai's red orbs stared straight at Anko. "Kaname? As in _that_ Kaname-chan?"

"Yeah, exactly." Anko answered. "And, oh, on a date, are we?"

Anko whistled and wiggled her eyebrows at the couple, whilst Guy gave them a wide smile and a thumbs up. Asuma and Kurenai noticeably blushed.

Anko quickly grabbed her best friend's wrist and pulled her close. She giggled as her eyes sparkled mischievously. "Forget about your date, you can do it some other time. Come join us! This is rather juicy!"

* * *

"So, you're saying that a woman who resembles Namikaze Kaname suddenly showed up at her old apartment which happens to be beside yours?" Asuma repeated with a questioning stare towards Genma. The tokubetsu jonin nodded.

"Namikaze Kaname, Kaname-chan." Kurenai muttered. "She was around 10 years younger than me and around the same age with Itachi, so she's now supposed to be around.. 21?"

"Yeah. It seemed to me that she didn't really get along with kids her age." Anko commented. The snake mistress refilled her cup with sake. "So she was closer to us, a few years older than her, rather than kids her age. Heck, I think all her 'friends' seems to be at least 3 years older than her. Probably except Uchiha Itachi, I recall they got along well. Oh, and her best friend, that Uchiha girl on her team. They were inseparable!"

"Ah, yes, Uchiha Haruka, wasn't it?"

"Yep. If I'm not mistaken, she died not long before the Uchiha massacre."

"But," Guy spoke up as he looked at everyone, "I thought Namikaze Kaname died?"

"Yes, most people believed Namikaze Kaname died 10 years ago at the tender age of 11 years old." Kurenai answered. She rested her chin on her wrists. Her red orbs gazed down onto the table. "But of course, that might not be the truth."

"To be honest," Asuma puffed out the smoke of his cigarette, "I've never fully believed that Kaname-chan died. My father didn't confirm it at all."

To the surprise of the other ninjas, Anko suddenly slammed her fists onto the table, bringing everyone's attention towards her, including other guests of the dango shop. Anko effortlessly ignored the staring. Her eyes sparkled with excitement and her lips curled up into a mischievous grin. "What if we all check it out? Like, all of us go there and check the apartment or something?"

"Yeah, maybe you were hallucinating, Genma." Guy commented.

"Well," Genma muttered slowly, "I don't know." Actually, he was quite sure what he saw was real, but.. Well, he might be wrong.

"If this is for real," Asuma spoke up, "You all know who we must inform first, right?"

Kurenai, Anko, Genma, and Guy stared back at Asuma in silence. They all knew who Asuma meant.

It was none other than the silver haired Sharingan Warrior.

* * *

Ta-daa! There goes the second chapter!

Thank you for reading, thank you for your kind reviews, thank you for your favs and follows, thank you for **everything!** I'm glad that I decided to post this fic, hehee. I hope you liked it. :D

Anyhow, I have a question for you. What do you think about the length of the chapters? Is it too short, too long, or just fine? Feel free to kindly let me know what you think. Thank you~!


	3. Chapter 3: Or not

Kaname happily hummed as she wiped the last speck of dust on the dining table. A long, happy sigh escaped her lips as she plopped down on the dining chair. Her blue eye scanned every little detail of the room, marveling her and her clones' work. Her gaze fell on the body length mirror. Kaname approached it and gazed at her reflection.

Red hair. Light skin. A hairpin on her left bangs. Short sleeved black t-shirt. Tan apron. Wristband on her left wrist.

She chuckled at herself. Soon enough, a dirty portrait on the cupboard caught her attention. Kaname approached it and carefully picked it up.

Beneath the thick layer of dust, she could still remember this portrait. She quickly took a piece of cloth and softly wiped it, as if the portrait could break into thin air in any moment. Her gaze softens and a soft smile grew across her face.

A portrait of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina with a toddler Namikaze Kaname in the middle. All with their own wide, cheerful, happy smiles.

The redhead coughed as an attempt to compose herself. She could easily feel the tears welling up in her eyes.

Only god knows how much she loved them. How much she wishes they could stay with her longer. How much she wishes they could watch and see their baby girl grow up into the strong kunoichi they had always dreamed as a daughter. How much she wishes they could also see Naruto reaches his dreams and becomes the best Hokage that Konoha has ever had. How much she hates herself and the feelings of helplessness that still lingers in her heart when she could do nothing but watch as her parents breathed their last. How much she wishes she could go back in time, do something, and save them.

Pathetic wishes that remains hidden in her heart, only in her heart.

_Thud!_

The loud sound from outside quickly alerted Kaname. Kaname gently put the portrait back where it belongs and shifted her attention. The kunoichi quickly focused her hearing as her right hand stayed ready near her weapon bag.

"What was that for?!"

_Hmm, this sounds like.. A pissed of Genma?_

"For walking too slow. Come on, I'm really excited!"

_This voice.. Mitarashi Anko?_

"Patience, Anko."

_A heavy male voice.. I wonder who?_

"No, that's perfectly fine! Anko's right, you should walk a bit quicker, Genma!"

_Ah, this familiar voice.. Might Guy._

"Well, I guess I, too, am eager to know whether what Genma saw was really the late Namikaze Kaname, or not."

_..Kurenai._

"God. Damn. It." Kaname hissed. The kunoichi quickly ran up to the door and used the most simple-yet-strong fuuin jutsu that she knows on the door. She could hear the footsteps approaching her apartment door.

_Damn it, Genma-san.._

"Oh, so, this is her apartment?" Anko chirped as she studied the door.

"Yes." Genma pointed towards a door to the right. "That one is mine."

"I didn't ask about where your apartment is, actually."

Genma rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue. Anko snickered whilst Kurenai and Asuma both stifled their laughter. Slowly, Anko's lips curled up into a wicked smirk. She dramatically, slowly reached out to the doorknob.

"Well, well," She muttered as her eyes sparkled mischievously. "Here we go!"

* * *

"What the-"

Anko gaped at the door. The snake mistress had applied enough strength on her grip that she thought she might break the door open, but no, the door didn't move at all. She clicked her tongue as her eyes glared sharply at the door.

"What's wrong?" Kurenai asked her friend.

"No, no, nothing is wrong." Anko muttered under her breath. An eerie smirk crept on her face. "Nothing. _At_ _all_."

"Let me and my power of youth try, Anko." Guy suggested. Anko shrugged and stepped away, giving her friend a chance.

"HUAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!"

* * *

No. The door still doesn't move at all.

"Okay," Asuma spoke up. The smoker patted Guy's shoulder. "Let me try."

The ninja with thick eyebrows was frozen on his spot.

"Hey? Guy?"

Guy suddenly fell onto his knees, shocking everyone else.

"Hey, Guy, what's wrong?!"

"Are you alright?!"

"God damn this stupid door!"

Kaname focused her hearing even further as the sudden ruckus caught her interest. She was very curious of what's happening on the other side of the door. Wondering what happened to the good ol' Might Guy and his power of youth.

"My.. Youth.." Guy muttered slowly. "My.. Power of youth.. IS GONE!"

And soon enough, a thud was heard. The tight-fitting-spandex-wearing ninja fell flat unconscious onto the floor.

"Ah. He lost it."

Some sighs were heard from the other side of the door whilst Kaname snickered. _Might Guy-san, still as entertaining as ever, hn?_

"A normal door couldn't be this strong." Kurenai spoke up. "Somebody must have done something with it."

"My best guess is some kind of fuuin jutsu." Genma guessed as his fingers played with his senbon.

_"Again, damn you, Genma-san." _Kaname clicked her tongue. _"But of course, how did I think that I could fool, not one, but **five **jonins with a simple fuuin jutsu in a pathetically tell-tale condition?"_

"Fuuin jutsu, huh?" Anko's lips curled up into a smirk. "If my memory serves me right, the one and only Namikaze Kaname was quite skilled in fuuin jutsus." It seems that Anko has believed that the Namikaze kunoichi is back, standing on the other side of the door, listening to them, and the snake mistress is openly taunting her. Her guessing was right on.

Anko cracked her fists. "Wel well, Kaname-chan," she giggled, "Open up~!"

_BLAAM!_

Kaname had removed the fuuin jutsu and shunshined away from the door _just_ in time to avoid being hit by the door. The powerful punch of Mitarashi Anko proved to be strong enough to break the door open. Kaname sighed as she saw dusts clouding up. _"No. I'm tired."_ She thought. _"This time, my clones will do **all** the work."_

Mitarashi Anko smirked proudly and stepped into the apartment before everyone else. Her eyes quickly scanned the apartment. "Bingo." Anko glanced at her comrades over her shoulder. "Somebody must have been here and cleaned this apartment."

Genma and Kurenai stepped in next, followed by Asuma who was carrying Guy on his shoulder. They all, except the knocked out Guy, looked around the apartment. They nodded in agreement with Anko.

Anko snickered in amusement. The kunoichi couldn't sense any unknown presence in the apartment. "Well, whoever you are, whatever you are," Anko sang, "Come out come out wherever you are!"

The jonin-leveled ninjas waited in silence. They were in full-alert and they scrupulously waited for any signs of the redheaded kunoichi.

"..Wow."

Four pair of eyes immediately turned at the source of the female voice. They watched intently as a redhead figure stood up from behind the couch, as the question 'How could she hide behind that couch so perfectly?' waltzed across their minds.

Kaname flashed a smile towards them all. "What amazing strength, Anko-san! Still as amazing as ever, I see."

The male ninjas' eyes widen and the female ninjas' mouth fell open.

"Kaname-chan!"

* * *

"Aaah, Kaname-chan, I can't believe it! You're alive! I really missed youu!"

Kaname cracked a forced smile at the squealing Anko. The older kunoichi was suffocating poor Kaname after 'slightly' interrogating the younger female.

The snake mistress has managed to push the truth out of the redhead, not before awkwardly glaring at Kaname with twitching eyebrows and poking her several times, as Anko seemed to believe that Kaname was a ghost, for a brief moment. Kaname eventually spilled the beans that she has intentionally faked her death. But of course, she didn't say anything about the reason, as Kaname believed it was too early for that. And then, as if she forgot that a few minutes ago she has been awkwardly poking Kaname as if the redhead was a ghost, Anko broke into laughter and proudly exclaimed, "I knew it!"

"Uh, yeah, nice to meet you too, Anko-san." Kaname answered. She could barely breathe, but still managed to pat Anko on the back.

"You've grown much taller, ne?" Kurenai muttered in awe at how much the younger kunoichi has grown. Her eyes scanned Kaname who actually seemed to be a _slight_ bit taller than herself.

_And you've grown to look a lot like your mother, haven't you?_

Kaname laughed. "Yeah, I guess I have. I was quite the shortie back then, wasn't I, Kurenai-san?"

Kurenai's gaze softened. Yes, even after all these years, the same smile was still there. The small, polite smile of the Konoha's Yellow Flash, Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato. Kaname's polite way of addressing people and generousness in openly praising people is also alike to her father.

"Well then," Genma spoke up and broke into the female reunion. He stared sharp at Kaname. "Would you like to explain why you slammed the door on me and went as far as putting a fuuin jutsu on the door?"

"As expected from Genma-san, you're still as sharp as ever." Kaname complimented. "Well, I guess I just.. Wanted some time alone."

Anko snorted. "What a pathetic excuse. If you need to lie, then, try harder, Kaname-chan."

Kaname's smile faded. The redhead turned her attention towards Anko. "No, I'm being honest. You could ask Kotetsu-san if you want to. I asked him to keep my arrival a secret. Yes, a very stupid request, but my point is that I'm being honest."

"Nah, but it doesn't really matter now, does it?" Asuma laughed. "Instead of arguing on that, why don't we celebrate this reunion?"

Kaname turned towards Asuma. She scanned the man and her eyebrows furrowed. "Uh, you are..?"

The jonin chuckled. "Sarutobi Asuma."

"Ah, yes, right, Asuma-san." Kaname nodded. "I remember you. Long time no see." Kaname offered to shake hands with the older male, which Asuma gladly accepts.

"Well now, Asuma's right! We should celebrate!" Anko giggled. She threw an arm around Kaname's shoulders and pulled the younger kunoichi close. "Ne, Kaname-chan, let's have some dango!"

Kurenai, Asuma, and Genma could only raise an eyebrow at the cheerful kunoichi.

"Dango? Again?" Genma stared at Anko in disbelief.

"Uh, I'm actually quite full. I had plenty of dango earlier." Kurenai mumbled.

"Dango?" Kaname's cheerful tone lightened up the air. She flashed a bright smile at Anko. "Sure!"

* * *

"Well well, here we are, back again." Genma muttered. He lazily rested his chin on his palm. The tokubetsu jonin glanced at Anko, whose mouth was already full of her beloved dango. He was stuck with the girls as Asuma didn't join their second trip to the dango shop. The smoker jonin decided to be a good friend and take care of poor Guy.

Kaname ate her dango in a _much_ more refined way than Anko. "Genma-san, Kurenai-san, the dango's good, you know. Are you sure you're not having any?"

"No, no thanks. We have _just_ been here before.. _Ambushing _your apartment."

Kaname laughed. The redhead took a sip of water and nodded. "Hmmhmm, okay, I see."

"You're not having sake?" Kurenai held up the sake bottle as to offer the redhead some sake.

"No, thank you." Kaname politely declined. "I don't drink sake."

"Well then, that's mine!" Anko cheerfully shouted. The kunoichi skillfully snatched the sake from Kurenai and hastily drank it. Kurenai sighed at her best friend's antics while Kaname laughed.

"You seem to be happy, huh? You've been laughing quite a lot."

"Eh?" Kaname turned at Genma. "Ah, well, yeah, I guess. Why shouldn't I be happy?"

"Yeah, exactly, that's good." Kurenai agreed. "You've been smiling all the time, Kaname-chan."

Kaname's lips curled up into an amused smirk. "Hn." She raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Oh, and," Anko interrupted, "when you were wearing that apron back then.."

Kaname turned at Anko who struggled to swallow the food in her mouth.

"You really looked like your mother."

Kaname's smirk faded. The sudden change of expression briefly worried Genma and Kurenai whilst Anko quickly covered her mouth. Kaname's gaze softened as it fell on the wristband on her left wrist._  
_

An honest, wide smile spread across her face. Not her usual, polite smile of Namikaze Minato, but the cheerful smile of Uzumaki Kushina.

Kaname laughed. "Really?"

* * *

Genma parted with the three women as the tokubetsu jonin had things to take care of, but of course, after he told Kaname that they should meet up and chat again sometime later. A long sigh escaped Kaname's lips as she gazed up at the sky. The sky was beautifully illuminated by red as the sun started to set. Meanwhile, a long sigh also escaped Anko's lips. The snake mistress patted her stomach with a happy smile.

Kaname chuckled. She flashed a thankful smile to Anko. "Well, that was delicious. Thanks for bringing me here, Anko-san."

"What are you talking about, Kaname? You only ate a few dangos." Kurenai commented. "Anyhow, what now? Should we head home or should we go somewhere else?"

"Of course we should go somewhere else! We have just reunited with Kaname-chan and I missed her!"

"But, Kaname-chan has just arrived this morning, right? She must be tired, Anko. She needs to rest."

"Ah, actually, I'm fine."

"See? Kaname-chan herself said we should go somewhere else!"

"Kaname, you've grown a bit.. Too kind, don't you think?"

Kaname laughed. "'Too kind'? What are you talking about, Kurenai-san?"

The trio decided to just randomly walk around the streets. Kaname happily studied and renewed her image of Konohagakure no Sato. She was right. It didn't change much.

"Ah, Kato-san's weaponry is still there."

"Yeah. Kato-san's eldest son has returned to take care of the weaponry, so good ol' Kato-san can retire."

"You used to go there all the time, right, Kaname-chan?"

Kaname smiled at the old weaponry. The old owners of the weaponry was very kind to her. They were almost like her grandparents. Kaname has _always_ had a soft spot for elders.

Interrupting her fond memories, Anko cheerfully threw her arm around Kaname's shoulder. "Ne, ne, Kaname-chan, why don't we go to-"

"Kaname?"

The redhead immediately froze as she heard a familiar voice calling out to her. Suddenly, it felt like her brain stopped working.

And slowly, her hands clenched into fists.

"Ah," Kurenai mumbled, "You.."

"Aha! The best person we could meet now!" Anko shouted cheerfully as she pointed at the man. The snake mistress glanced at her best friend. Anko wiggled her eyebrows. "Isn't this perfect?"

Kurenai chuckled at Anko's mischievous 'hohoho's. She then realized that the younger redhead was still frozen on her spot, not even bothering to turn around and face Kakashi. The genjutsu-user silently turned her attention towards the silver-haired jonin. A small, nervous smile crept on her face as she studied Kakashi's expression. _"This might get a little bit.. Dramatic." _She thought with amusement.

"Hey, Kaname-chan, turn around!"

Anko's hand on her shoulder brought Kaname back to her senses. Gulping, she braced herself to turn around and face the one and only Hatake Kakashi.

Yes. She _must_ turn around now. She should make sure of her feelings towards him.

Whether she could forgive him,

Or not.

* * *

GGAAAHHH I finally had the time to update! I've been **soooo** busy and** life has been giving me so many lemons**. I'm really sorry I'm really sorry I'm rreeeaaalllyyy sssooorrryyyy! TAT

Life has been bad. Very bad. Each and every day has been very hard to endure. Oh my goodness, Kami, give me strength~ TAT

Gah, I should stop venting here. Sorry, lol, I just can't help it.. It's nothing serious, actually, but I really am troubled by it. Gahh, no, I seriously should stop venting..

Anyhow, hope you liked it! Again, I've been very busy so probably the next chapter won't be uploaded anytime soon, but I'll try my best. Thank you! :D


	4. Chapter 4: Changes

_"Kaname?"_

Even after all these years without pronouncing it, the name slipped smoothly from his lips. He couldn't believe the sight in front of him. Even though the redheaded woman has not turn around to face him, he could see it.

He could see the silhouette of the young redheaded Namikaze. Waist length red hair with a hairpin adorning her left bangs, light skin, left eye covered with bandages, brilliant blue right eye, clad in white hoodie with red stripe along the shoulder and short-sleeves with the red whirlpool of the Uzumaki clan proudly branded on the back, black knee-length pants, black wristband that originally belonged to her mother on her left wrist,

And a warm, kind smile.

As feels of nostalgia hit him hard, the jonin struggled to move his leg forward and approach the kunoichi before him. To make sure whether this is real, or not. To make sure whether the young woman standing in front of him really _is_ Namikaze Kaname, or not.

* * *

"I heard you wished to speak with me, Sandaime Hokage-sama?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen laid his eyes on the young boy who kneeled down in respect before him. "Yes, Kakashi, I've been wishing to speak with you." The hokage smiled warmly. "How have you been?"

Kakashi solemnly gazed down onto the floor. "I've been doing," he paused, "fine. Thank you for your concern."

The hokage let out a small sigh. He easily noticed the young jonin's discomfort. "Well, Kakashi, as to why I wished to speak with you," he started, "I have a task for you."

Kakashi looked up to face the hokage. "And what could that be, Hokage-sama?"

The aged hokage closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"As you know, the Yondaime Hokage died whilst protecting the village from the Nine-Tailed Fox."

Pain quickly showed in Kakashi's expression. The young ninja's gaze fell onto the floor as he mourned the death of his sensei. The hokage's eyebrows furrowed as he felt slight guilt for bringing up the painful topic. After a moment of mourning in silence, Kakashi slowly nodded.

"And as you know, he left his two children, the newborn Uzumaki Naruto, who is the new Kyuubi jinchuuriki, and," Sandaime Hokage paused, "Namikaze Kaname, the eldest daughter of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina."

Kakashi was silent as he carefully processed the hokage's words. Being the sharp ninja that he is, he has gotten an idea of where the conversation is going.

"The poor girl lost both of her parents at such a tender age of 5 years old. It must be very painful for such a young child to watch her parents breathe their last." The hokage said with a solemn look. "I'm sure you understand."

The young ninja stayed silent. He wasn't quite sure of what to say.

"..Yes."

"Now, this is the task I have for you, Kakashi." The Sandaime Hokage announced with a warm smile.

"I would like you to be the guardian of Namikaze Kaname."

The silver-haired ninja raised his head. His eye slightly widen as he looked straight at the older man. "Guardian?"

"Yes. Guardian. As a guardian, you would have to protect her. As the daughter of the fourth hokage, her life is at risk." The hokage explained. "And, even more important than protecting her from physical harm, is guiding her. Guide her so she doesn't stray towards darkness. The poor girl is just a child, she's still very unstable, anything could happen."

"B-But I thought," the usually apathetic Kakashi paused when he realized that he slightly stuttered. The heavy responsibility of the sudden task proved to be enough to make _the_ Hatake Kakashi stutter as images of his sensei haunted him _if _he were to fail the task. "But I thought she would be left in the care of a clan?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen took a deep breath and continued. "Many families and clans has requested to have her in their care, but she refused all of their offers, just as I expected. And honestly, I don't really like the idea of leaving her in the care of a clan." The hokage gave the young ninja a meaningful stare. "On the other hand, she knows you, Minato and Kushina trusts you. Therefore, I think you would be the perfect person for this task. This is a very important task, Kakashi. You might even say that her life and her future is now in your hands."

Kakashi fell silent. The third hokage's words echoed in his mind as he drowned deep in his thoughts. The hokage continued to watch the boy, studying Kakashi's every moves.

"So, Hatake Kakashi, do you accept this task?"

* * *

Seconds turn into minutes. Kakashi stood frozen on his spot. The silver-haired jonin impatiently waited for the redhead to turn around. Kurenai watched the pair in silence as she became a bit concerned, whilst Anko remained clueless and as cheerful as ever.

And after what felt like forever, the redhead turned around. Shoulder-length red hair, a hairpin that kept her long bangs swept to the left, black eyepatch on the left eye, and her right eye shone bright blue.

But instead of the warm smile he expected, it was a cold gaze and thinned lips.

"...Kaname?"

With a slight frown, Kaname stayed silent. Her cold eye scanned every detail of the man in front of her from head to toe.

And in a blink of an eye, the frown was replaced with a smile, but her gaze remained cold. The smile was obviously fake.

"Long time no see, Hatake Kakashi-san."

Behind his mask, Kakashi's mouth fell open as the kunoichi's voice resounded in his ears.

"Kaname? I-Is that really you?" Kakashi mumbled. The jonin slowly approached the redhead before stopping a few steps in front of her. "How?"

Kaname stayed silent. Her gaze was blank and her face was expressionless. The kunoichi looked straight in the eye of the man who was a few inches taller than her.

She chuckled as the same smile reappeared. "Yes."

Kakashi gaped. "You-"

"Wait, Kurenai, this isn't one of your stupid genjutsu, is it?"

Kurenai's eyebrows furrowed at the silver haired jonin's ridiculous accusing. "What?! Of course not! That's stupid!"

Kakashi quickly returned his attention towards the kunoichi in front of him. "B-But, I thought you," he paused, "died?"

There was silence as Kaname stood expressionless. She kept her gaze locked on the older jonin in front of her. Even Kurenai and Anko was silent. The two women watched intently as she waited for a response from the redhead.

"Hn." A smirk cracked on Kaname's face. "Hmph. Heheh."

Finally, much to the surprise of the jonins, the younger kunoichi broke into laughter. Her loud laughter immediately broke the tense feeling in the air.

"Ahaha, sorry. It seems that I've developed a habit to laugh at the worst of times." Kaname wiped a tear from her eye as her laughter gradually slowed down. She coughed and composed herself. "Well, I expected much more from an ex-ANBU like you, Kakashi-san. No, I didn't. I faked my death and left the village."

Kakashi was speechless. His brain struggled to digest the sudden turn of events. Watching the confused Kakashi, Anko broke into laughter. The snake mistress threw an arm around the male jonin's shoulder. Anko wiggled her eyebrows and sneered mischievously.

She playfully poked Kakashi's cheek. "Woah now, Kakashi, you must be so happy, right?"

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at Anko. He sighed and returned his attention to the redhead in front of him. Kaname was gazing up at the sky, with a blank look, without any single word.

Kurenai, still silently watching Kakashi and Kaname with a concerned expression, slightly pulled at her giggling best friend's elbow. Anko glanced at Kurenai and noticed Kurenai's look.

"Ah, right!" Anko exclaimed. She quickly danced towards Kurenai's side and clapped her hands. "Kurenai and I had something urgent to do, ne, Kurenai?"

Kurenai nodded and threw a smile at Anko whilst Anko laughed and playfully punched Kurenai on the shoulder. Her mischievous smirk grew wider than ever as Anko glanced at Kakashi and Kaname. "So, you guys can hang out, just the two of you, cause we have to go now."

Kakashi had a strong urge to facepalm at Anko's grin. He closed his eyes and sighed. "_What the hell are these two thinking.."_

Kakashi turned his attention to the younger kunoichi. Kaname only stared blankly at Anko's cheeky grin and Kurenai's strained smile. Slowly, his gaze soften.

_"She has grown.."_

* * *

Kakashi and Kaname stood in front of the Ichiraku Ramen. The two older kunoichi had really left them for real. Kakashi sighed. "_That Anko.."_

Meanwhile, the redhead stayed silent the whole way. Kakashi, too, stayed silent as he didn't think it was wise to start a conversation judging from the look on Kaname's face. It looked as if she had a lot in her mind, but Kakashi was unable to read past it. Even now, as Kakashi silently glanced at her, Kaname only stared blankly at the ramen stand.

"Well," Kakashi spoke up, "Let's eat here, shall we?"

Instead of turning her attention at the older male, Kaname gazed down with a morose look on her face. After a few moments of silence, she slowly nodded.

Kakashi would be lying if he said he wasn't disappointed by her lack of response. Deciding that he shouldn't push her any further, he stepped into the Ichiraku Ramen and sat on a stool. He glanced at Kaname as she sat down on a stool beside his. A few moments later, a waiter came and took their orders. But after that, the dreaded silence returned.

Kakashi decided to give it another try. He turned at Kaname. "Well, it has been a long time, hasn't it? 10 years?"

Kaname stared at the cup in her hand. "Yes."

"So, how old are you now? 21?"

"Yes."

Kakashi's eyebrows twitched. Two simple 'yes's was more than enough to make him frustrated. The jonin stared at the kunoichi, trying to read past her blank expression. After another few moments of silence and his effort to start a conversation seems to fail, he looked away and sighed.

"Why won't you look at me?"

The girl gaped and quickly turned towards the older male. His sudden question obviously hit her.

"..Huh?"

_"Finally..."_

"I said, why won't you look at me?" Kakashi repeated. He looked straight at the girl. "Your fake death really devastated me, you know. That wasn't nice. And now you're suddenly back, but you seem to refuse to look at me. Why?"

Kaname stayed silent as she stared back at Kakashi. After a few moments, an amused smirk tugged on her lips. Kaname chuckled and turned her attention back to the cup. "No particular reasons."

Kakashi furrowed his eyebrows. He sighed, irritation as clear as day, as he, too, evaded his eyes. The silence turned much worse.

Kaname continued to stare as her thumb traced the cup in her hand. As Kakashi secretly glanced at her, she seemed to be lost in thoughts. Kakashi silently hoped that his question reached her.

"I guess you haven't changed much, hn, Kakashi-san?"

Kakashi turned at the girl, glad that she started a conversation, but slightly disappointed that she did it without even bothering to look at him. A long sigh escaped his lips. "Still refusing to look at me, I see."

Kaname didn't respond. Kakashi immediately regretted his words. He facepalmed and mentally cursed. _"I shouldn't have said that.."_

"Well, I guess I haven't." Kakashi answered smoothly. "On the other hand, you've grown to be a beautiful lady, and I believe you must have grown pretty strong, too."

Kaname snickered. "Really?"

"Yes. I am honestly curious of how strong you've grown." Kakashi smiled. "Perhaps we should have a spar soon, just like the old times."

Kaname smiled, this time a slightly more honest smile. "Yeah, I suppose I owe you a lot, Kakashi-san."

Kakashi glanced at the girl. "Meaning?"

"Those many years ago, you trained me, a physically frail child, into a ninja capable of passing the chuunin exam." A small smile tugged her lips as she remembered how hard it initially was for her to endure Kakashi's training. "I'm sure that must have been not so easy."

A warm smile grew across Kakashi's masked face. "Well, actually, you were quite talented. It was just.. Health factors, so it wasn't really _that _ hard."

Kaname only smiled silently. Soon enough, Kakashi noticed that the short conversation has ended. He quickly tried to think of a new topic as he somehow felt like he needed to speak with her. Well, perhaps, after these 10 years, he missed the cute and kind little girl he once had as a pupil.

"So, where have you been for these 10 years?"

Kaname didn't bother to look at him as her blank expression returned. "Places."

As a quick learner, Kakashi immediately noticed that the topic was a bad idea. _If_ the redhead responded well to that question, Kakashi was meaning to push it further and ask why she faked her death and left the village, _but_, it didn't go as smooth as he planned. He quickly thought of another topic.

"I believe you have reported to the fifth hokage. What did she say?"

Kaname rested her chin on her palm, her gaze still locked onto the cup. "Well, Tsunade-sama said that I'm currently on probation until I undergo interrogations by Yamanaka Inoichi-san. She said she'll think of the interrogation schedule today and I must return to her office tomorrow."

"I see." Kakashi muttered. "Ah, that's right, have you met Naruto?"

If he wasn't _the _Hatake Kakashi, he wouldn't have noticed that Kaname's expression slightly, _very_ slightly hardened.

A small sigh escaped her lips as she put the cup onto the table. "No. I'm not even sure whether I should."

Kakashi's eyebrows furrowed. The silver haired jonin looked straight at Kaname. "Why would you say that?

"Well, obviously, because I left him." A forced smile cracked on Kaname's face. "I don't have any rights to claim myself as his sister anymore."

Kakashi's gaze softened as her words echoed in his mind. He couldn't be more tempted to ask why she left the village, but judging from her expression, he knew it was best to let her tell him when she feels like it.

"You know, Kaname," Kakashi reached out and held Kaname's hand, to which Kaname quickly reacted by pulling her hand away. The jonin decided to ignore the awkward reaction. "Remember how you would occasionally accompany and train Naruto when he was around 5 years old?"

Kaname nodded. "Yeah, and? That's not enough to give me any-"

"For around a year after your disappearance, he kept coming there, waiting for you."

Pain danced across her eye as Kakashi's statement struck through her like a thunder. Images of the cheerful young Naruto flooded her mind.

"Remember how you stood up for him against the villagers? Remember how-"

"Stop." Kaname groaned and quickly covered her eye as an effort to hide the emotions leaking from it. "That doesn't make me feel any better, Kakashi-san."

"What I'm trying to say is," Kakashi pulled Kaname's hand away from her eye. The redhead reluctantly turned and looked at him. "You're not that bad. You tried your best to be there for him. You listened to him. You stood up for him. What I'm trying to say is, you already did your best, Kaname."

An exasperated sigh escaped Kaname's lips. "Thank you, but no, Kakashi-san, you're just saying that as an attempt to make me feel better, right? I know I need to do _much_ more than that to have the rights to claim myself as his sister. I know you think so-"

"No, Kaname, I'm saying-"

"Please, no." Kaname quickly interrupted. The kunoichi turned to look at Kakashi straight in the eye. "Listen, I am his sister, at least biologically. However, I left him alone. That's not what a sister does to her little brother. That is wrong."

"Alright, _you_ listen to me." Kakashi laid his hand on Kaname's shoulder. "I know you. I know you won't just leave the village on a simple whim. I believe you had your own reasons, and no, I won't push you to tell me, I'll wait until you feel like telling me. Listen, I'm telling the truth, okay? You already did your best."

Kaname was speechless. That authoritative tone of his was _very_ familiar to her. Those many years ago, it was very rare for that tone to slip out of the usually calm and cool Kakashi, but that's exactly why it was impossible to forget.

The redhead continued to seek assurance in Kakashi's unwavering eye. A warm smile spread across his masked lips as Kakashi softly patted her shoulder. Kaname quickly evaded her gaze from the smile on the jonin's masked face.

Afterwards, the pair was silent as their orders came and they both enjoyed their meal. However, Kakashi didn't mind it this time. He enjoyed the silence, as if he enjoyed the mere presence of the young lady as memories of those many years ago resurfaced. How the cute young girl he knew as Namikaze Kaname has grown up into the beautiful young lady sitting beside him made him felt somehow.. Happy.

"I guess," Kakashi muttered as he put down his chopsticks. Kaname, who was about to eat the ramen on her chopsticks, stopped and turned to look at the jonin.

"After these 10 years, I guess I missed you."

Kaname gaped at his statement as her ramen quickly slipped off the chopsticks. Kakashi turned at her and smiled warmly. After a few moments of staring-Kaname gaping and Kakashi smiling-in silence, Kaname slowly turned her gaze to the ramen bowl in front of her.

"Hn."

Kakashi quirked an eyebrow at the smirk that slowly grew on Kaname's face. In a few seconds, the kunoichi broke into laughter.

Kakashi's eyebrows twitched. "What are you laughing at?"

"Heheh. You missed me? That's cute."

"No, I'm not kidding."

Kaname glanced at Kakashi. An honest, soft smile grew across her face, to which Kakashi gladly smiled back.

* * *

"Well, that was a great meal." Kaname said with a happy sigh. She stood up and put some amount of money on the table. The redhead flashed a smile and waved towards Teuchi who kindly waved back. "Thanks, Teuchi-san!"

Kakashi looked up at the kunoichi. "You're leaving already?"

"Of course I am. I've finished my meal. Why else should I stay here?"

Kakashi chuckled. He, too, stood up and put his money on the table as his ramen bowl was also empty. As always, he finished his meal in the speed of light. "Well, where are we going next?"

Kaname quirked an eyebrow. "What?"

"Ah." Kakashi mumbled as he realized the awkwardness of his words. "I mean, perhaps you have some places you want to visit after these 10 years, so I thought maybe I could accompany you."

Kaname gave him a questioning look. "Umm, I don't mean to be rude, but don't you have anything better to do?"

Kakashi chuckled. "What are you talking about? This is the best thing I could do at this moment." His hand traced the cover of the Icha Icha Tactics in his weapon bag. A warm smile grew on his face. _"This book could wait."_

Kaname turned her back at Kakashi as a smirk adorned her face. A snicker escaped her lips as she stepped out of the Ichiraku Ramen with the silver haired ninja following right behind her.

* * *

"Don't you think that was a bit too.. Evil, Anko?"

Anko broke into laughter. She looked at her best friend who was walking behind her. "What are you talking about, Kurenai? That was perfect! Besides, wasn't it your idea?"

Kurenai nervously smiled. "Uhh, yeah, I guess it was."

"Kakashi needed that." Anko said. "Don't you remember how devastated he was when Kaname-chan 'died'? It was like he reverted back to the cold Hatake Kakashi after his teammates' death."

"Yeah. I guess Kaname-chan's child innocence did wonders in saving Kakashi from turning into some cold killing machine with no feelings, ne?"

Anko nodded. The best friends continued to walk silently as they both drowned in their own thoughts.

"Ne, Kurenai?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think," Anko stopped walking and turned towards Kurenai, the usual smirk gone from her face. "Do you think Kakashi might fall for Kaname-chan?"

Kurenai gaped at the sudden question. "Wait what?"

"You heard me right."

Kurenai furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to think of an answer. "Uhh, I guess anything is possible." Kurenai muttered. "But I think it would be very unlikely"

Anko quirked an eyebrow. "Unlikely?"

"Well, they used to be so close, almost like a big brother and a little sister, back then, so I think it might be unlikely for them to become lovers."

Anko hummed. "But, why not? Kaname's a grown up lady now, the brotherly love might turn into romantic love, right?"

"Yeah, I guess." Kurenai mumbled.

An amused smirk crept on Anko's face. The snake mistress nodded. "It's okay, I thought you'd say that."

Kurenai raised an eyebrow as to question her best friend's motives. The snake mistress grinned at Kurenai.

"Let's see how things will turn out."

* * *

**OH. MY. GOD.**

Oh my god I haven't been updating this for ages! I'm so so so sorry! The previous way I used to access suddenly stopped working (this site is blocked here by the government-_-) and it took me ages to figure out another way. I'm really sorry!

Anyhow, thanks for reading it, I hope you enjoyed it! :D


	5. Chapter 5: As Always

"You ended up following me everywhere, hn, Kakashi-san."

Kaname glanced over her shoulder at the silver haired ninja. Kakashi laughed nervously. "I hope you don't mind."

Without answering the older jonin, Kaname returned her gaze to the street. The sun has disappeared beneath the horizon as the sky has turned dark. Gradually, the streets of Konohagakure no Sato became less busy. Most of the time, it was peacefully silent, much to the pleasure of the redheaded ninja.

Kaname suddenly stopped walking and turned at Kakashi. She looked straight at Kakashi with her usual blank expression. "I'm going home. There's no need to accompany me any longer."

"Back to your old apartment?"

"Yes."

Kakashi smiled. "Then, our apartment is in the same building. In fact, it's even on the same floor."

Much in contrast to the smile on Kakashi's face, Kaname furrowed her eyebrows at Kakashi's statement. She stared at Kakashi with a look that screamed 'What the hell? Seriously?' as if she seriously disliked the idea of living anywhere near the jonin. After a few moments of silence, an exasperated sigh escaped Kaname's lips. The redhead turned on her heels without a single word.

Instead of casually following the younger kunoichi again, Kakashi stood in silence. His smile gradually faded, only to be replaced by a slight frown.

_"There must be something wrong."_

* * *

The pair stopped in front of the apartment door of Namikaze Kaname. Kaname stayed silent and blankly gazed on the door, seemingly lost in her own world. Kakashi sighed and decided to speak, hoping he could bring Kaname back to her senses.

"Well, that is my apartment." Kakashi pointed to the right end of the aisle. "Feel free to stop by in case you need anything."

Kaname's blue orb glanced to the direction at which Kakashi pointed. Then, she turned towards Kakashi and flashed a smile. "I'll remember that. Thank you."

Kakashi immediately noticed it. Kaname's smile was obviously insincere, even forced. _Most_ of her smiles were. But still, a warm, sincere smile grew on Kakashi's face. Kaname turned her back at Kakashi and unlocked the apartment door. Kakashi quickly took a peek of her apartment, amazed that the redhead managed to clean the old apartment.

"Well," Kaname said as she turned to face Kakashi once again, "Thanks for today, I guess."

"Of course, it was my pleasure." Kakashi smiled. He waved goodbye to the younger kunoichi. "Well, see you-"

_Blam!_

Without waiting for Kakashi to complete his sentence, Kaname slammed the door on him. Kakashi's smile faded as he stood in front of the door without any single word.

A long, exhausted sigh escaped his lips. Something is _obviously _wrong. However, there's nothing he could do for today. Kakashi decided he'll see what he can do the next time they meet and walked towards his own apartment in silence.

* * *

The redhead stood frozen near the door, teeth gritted and fists clenched. She didn't mean to slam the door, but she couldn't hold the emotions back as it manifested itself into unnecessary strength.

"This is ridiculous!" Kaname hissed. "How could I smile? How could I enjoy his company? How could I?!"

Kaname pricked her right thumb with her sharp, claw-like fingernail, which she possibly obtained from being born from a Kyuubi jinchuuriki. The redhead kunoichi did an arrange of seals in an impressive speed and slammed her right hand onto the floor, performing the summoning jutsu. She stared sharply through the thick clouds of smoke. Slowly, the smoke began to fade and revealed a man standing gallantly in the midst of the clouds.

"Well well, what now?" The young man who seemed to be in his mid-twenties spoke with a smirk on his face. The tanned man had long, spiky brown hair tied into a high ponytail. His eyes were narrow and his irises were golden. The young man wore an elegant red yukata with golden trimmings.

The man looked around and raised an eyebrow. "Oh, where is this?"

He waited for a response from his summoner, but it was to no avail. As he turned his attention back to his summoner, he raised an eyebrow at Kaname's furious expression. "Woah, what now? What did I do wrong?"

Kaname stood up and walked past the man. The redhead quickly sank onto the couch without a single word. The young man raised an eyebrow as he approached Kaname in graceful steps and sat down on another couch in a much more refined way.

The man smirked at Kaname. "Come on now, what's wrong, brat?"

"Damn it, Keiichi, I hate this." Kaname hissed, her head in her hands. "I shouldn't be enjoying his company!"

Keiichi raised an eyebrow. "Don't summon me just to have me listen to your grumbling like that. Tell me what happened."

The redhead did not respond. The brunette's patience thinned out and he slightly hardened his tone. "Come on, tell me what happened. I don't have much time."

Kaname exasperatedly took a deep breath. She raised her head and looked straight at the man she summoned. "Alright. This will take a long time."

* * *

_It was white. Bright, pure white._

_The redheaded female stood bravely amidst the empty, endless white. Kaname raised an eyebrow the unfamiliar white she was engulfed in._

_"So, this is how it feels to be dead, hn?"_

_The endless white space was dead silent. Kaname snickered to herself. "Nah, just kidding. A dream, is it?"_

_Suddenly, the pure white world shook furiously, as if it was to shatter and fall into pieces. Kaname lost her balance and landed on her elbows. Her blue eye widened as she watched the white gradually darken into pitch black._

_"Wait," she choked up, "Wait, what the hell?!" The kunoichi suddenly felt so powerless, as if all of her strength has been sucked out of her being._

_A small cursing escaped her lips as realization struck her. It has been quite a while since the last time she had this dream. But now, here it is, the same dream, over and over again._

_"This time.."_

_Just as she expected, a speck of light appeared in front of her.  
_

_Kaname furiously struggled to gather her strength and get back on her feet, more than she ever did in all the similar dreams before._

_Just as she expected, a figure formed amidst the light._

_Kaname was finally on her knees, but was soon knocked down again, like she always did in all the similar dreams before._

_There she was, powerless. _

_Kaname gritted her teeth as she struggled to look up. She felt the familiar pain in the chest as she watched the figure of a young man forming amidst the light. Her hands clenched into fists as she struggled to gather as much strength as she could. This is the part where the dream usually ends, but this time, no matter how pathetic it sounds, Kaname doesn't plan on leaving it be. With the little amount of power she had, Kaname pushed herself up. Her hand reached out towards the figure in the light._

_Kaname struggled to see the movement of the man's lips as tears started to blur her sight._

_"Kaname, I-"_

_A teardrop rolled down her cheek. The redhead struggled to speak as she felt a lump in her throat. And as the teardrop flew down from her chin, _

_"A-"_

_Everything shattered._

_The dream ended._

* * *

"A-!"

Kaname's eyes opened abruptly. Her heart drummed painfully loud in her chest. She was gasping for breath. She stayed still on the bed, her mind painfully replaying the dream over and over again. Kaname glanced at the bedside clock. It was 2 AM.

A small 'damn' was all she managed to say through the lump in her throat. Her hands grabbed at the bedsheets and clenched into fists. Tears welled up in her sapphire-onyx eyes.

"Shit. I failed." Kaname hissed. A tear rolled down from her right eye. "I failed again. As always, I failed. I've failed you, again and again. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Kaname took a deep breath. She knew she would burst into tears soon enough if she didn't. She gradually calmed herself. The sudden burst of emotions right after waking up at 2 AM proved to be quite tiring. Her eyes closed as she slowly lulled herself back to sleep. However, not before a soft mutter escaped her lips,

"I love you."

* * *

The birds chirped cheerfully and bathed in the 10 AM sunlight of the Konohagakure no Sato, much in contrast to a certain red haired kunoichi. Kaname, still struggling to keep her mind off the dream, quickly took out her clothes from the dresser. She decided to slightly renew her attire as an effort to fulfill her wish, or at least, what she _believed_ she wishes for, to 'start anew' in the Konohagakure no Sato. The redhead smiled as she ran her fingers on the soft fabric of her new V-neck, light cinereous shirt, which sported a black stripe through each of its long sleeves and the symbol of the Uzumaki clan proudly branded on its back.

In a few minutes, Kaname stood in front of the mirror in her renewed attire. She chuckled at herself.

"'An effort to completely start anew'? How pathetic." Kaname smirked. "If I actually have to do something like that, the first thing I should've done is to get rid of this overcoat."

Kaname looked down on the fabric of her overcoat, lost in her thoughts. "'Get rid of this overcoat', hn?" The redhead laughed to herself.

"As if I could do that."

Kaname glanced at the desk. Pain sparked in her eye as her gaze fell on a sheet of paper on the desk. Kaname absentmindedly approached the desk and stared intently on the paper. A slight pain stung in her chest as she saw the familiar handwriting on the paper.

Kaname sighed and quickly looked away from the paper. The kunoichi decided that she didn't need any more emotions early in the morning. The redhead had a long day to face and getting gloomy from reminiscing the long gone past is not an ideal way to start it.

However, Kaname did not have the best of luck as her gaze fell on a photograph tacked on the bookcase above the desk instead. An exasperated groan escaped the lips of the young kunoichi. Kaname quickly took the photograph of a black-haired, tan-skinned young man into her hand. The mere sight of the familiar face caused many emotions to surface. There were lots of things she wanted to say, but talking to a photograph obviously won't help.

Kaname took a deep breath. "Wish me luck," was all she could say.

The redhead flipped the photograph down and left it on the desk. Soon enough, her mind drifted to her conversation with Keiichi. No matter how annoying that obnoxious man could be, kami bless him to be there to deal with her emotional outbreaks. Kaname looked straight at her eye on the mirror.

"Perhaps I should avoid Kakashi-san for the time being until I'm ready to properly face him." Kaname mumbled. "Yes. Noted. I should avoid him. There's no need for useless emotions."

Kaname decided she doesn't want to be late and face the anger of the Fifth Hokage, so she decided it's time to go as she walked away from the mirror and approached the door. Stopping a few steps from the door, she looked back at her apartment to make sure that everything is in place. Her eye caught sight of shards of glass on the floor near the coffee table. A small smile grew on her face as Kaname turned her gaze at the broken glass of the coffee table, right in front of the couch she sat on last night. Her gaze lingered on it as Keiichi's words resounded in her mind.

Kaname chuckled and turned around to face the door. The kunoichi raised her freshly wounded right hand to the doorknob. "I'll take care of that later."

* * *

"And I'll decide what to do with you after I receive the reports on your interrogation, then I'll see whether you were being completely honest with me or not. Understood?"

Kaname flashed a charming smile to the hokage. "Understood."

The Fifth Hokage chuckled at the younger kunoichi. "And, here you go," Tsunade pulled out something from the desk drawer and put it on her desk, "A present."

Kaname's blue eye slightly sparkled as she gazed at the hitai-ate in awe. Slowly, the redhead approached the hokage desk. She gently took the black hitai-ate and traced her fingers on the Konoha symbol.

Her gaze soften as feels of nostalgia gave her a warm, fuzzy feeling. "It has been a long time.."

Tsunade chuckled. "Indeed. Now, wear it. It's a sign that you are a proud ninja of Konohagakure no Sato."

A grin grew on Kaname's face as she tied the hitai-ate on her forehead, as if it was the very moment where she will start anew in the village. Kaname bowed at the hokage. "Thank you very much, Tsunade-sama."

"You're welcome." Tsunade smiled softly. "Alright, you're dis- Ah, wait, no. Kaname?"

"Yes?"

The hokage rested her chin on her wrists as she stared at the younger kunoichi. "If I'm not mistaken, your rank before leaving the village was.. Chuunin?"

"Yes."

The hokage's lips stretched into a smile. "Then, I have the perfect offer for you."

Kaname raised an eyebrow. "What could that be, Tsunade-sama?"

"Namikaze Kaname." Tsunade looked sharply at Kaname. Seconds turned into minutes. Tsunade was silent as her smile gradually grew wider. It was as if she was trying to create a suspense.

"How would you like to be temporarily placed in the same team with Naruto?"

The redhead's eye grew wide and her mouth fell open. Kaname stood speechless. Kaname didn't have the time to think of how to deal with Naruto, and now she is suddenly confronted with the sudden offer-even though it seems more like an order to the redhead-from the hokage.

Tsunade chuckled. The hokage patiently waited for a response from the younger kunoichi. She seemed to have mistaken the meaning behind Kaname's silence. "Well?"

Kaname took a deep breath. Slowly, a slight frown grew on her face. "Umm, I guess I would-"

"Perfect!" Tsunade clapped.

Kaname's eyebrows twitched. The redhead was meaning to say, 'Umm, I guess I would _have to decline that offer._' but the hokage interrupted her in the worst of times, completely changing the meaning of her words.

"Ah, no, wait, Tsunade-sama, I-"

"No 'but's. As I said, it is perfect." Tsunade interrupted. "Well then, Namikaze Kaname, from now on, you shall be a temporary member of Team Kakashi!"

...

_Eh?_

* * *

Woah, I finally had the time to post this chapter. So sorry it took a long time, I've been quite busy with stuffs. I'll **try my best **to not take so long to update this fic.

Yes, a new OC. Keiichi is the first of some OCs to be included in this fic and his role is quite major compared to the other OCs. I hope you don't mind.

I really hope you liked this chapter. Feel free to tell me what you think about it. Thank you. :D


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